This invention relates to a creeping device for training handicapped children otherwise unable to crawl on their own.
For handicapped children who do not possess the necessary coordination, balance and strength to creep or crawl as in the case of a normal child, training and motivation is often required before independent creeping skills are developed. Devices for assisting retarded children in acquiring such skills, have been proposed as disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,843,391, 3,532,356 and 3,992,023. Such prior creep or crawl training devices generally include a wheeled frame from which a body support is suspended. The child is placed on the suspended body support arranged so that its hands and feet may contact the ground in order to enable the child to propel the wheeled frame by movement of its arms and legs.
The prior art creeping devices aforementioned, have suffered from several drawbacks which include either excessive restriction of the child's head or limbs or a degree of freedom making the device unsafe. Further, prior art devices have sometimes suffered from instability and have caused discomfort to the infant.
It is therefore an important object of the present invention to provide a creeping device for handicapped children which is both safer and less restrictive in supporting the infant's body as well as to provide more comfortable support in an effective manner.
Other objects of the invention are to provide a creeper device of the aforementioned type that is more readily adjustable and capable of being disassembled for replacement and/or cleaning of parts.